The present invention relates to a bracket connecting structure, and more particularly to a bracket connecting structure useful at the time of fixing an auxiliary device equipped in a vehicle compartment, such as a sun visor, to a body panel.
A sun visor is disposed, for example, in the vicinity of an upper end of the windshield of an automobile on the driver""s seat or the passenger""s seat side. Depending on the type of the sun visor, there is a type in which the sun visor is provided with, for instance, a vanity mirror which in some cases is provided with a lamp to allow its use at night.
FIG. 18 shows an example of a bracket for mounting such a sun visor. This bracket 100 is fitted on a reverse side of a trim 200, i.e., an interior member of the vehicle body, and is fixed to a body panel (not shown) by being combined with a sun visor-side bracket (not shown). The brackets are respectively provided with connectors, and as the connectors are engaged with each other by combining both brackets, the wiring on the vehicle body side and the wiring on the sun visor side are connected.
As shown in FIG. 18, the assembling operation is performed in a procedure in which the vehicle body-side bracket 100 is fitted in advance to the trim 200, and the trim 200 in this state is fitted to an inner panel of the vehicle body. Accordingly, a plurality of hooks 101 for fitting to an opening 201 in the trim 200 are provided on the bracket 100.
These hooks 101 are L-shaped in their cross sections, and are provided at a plurality of positions on a plate surface of a base plate 102 of the bracket 100 such that their distal ends are oriented outward. As these hooks 101 are engaged with peripheral edge portions of the opening 201 of the trim 200, the bracket 100 is attached to the trim 200.
FIG. 19 shows the relationship between the hooks 101 and the opening 201 of the trim 200. The plurality of hooks 101 are formed such that opposing ones are oriented in opposite directions, the size of the opening 201 is set such that the peripheral edge of the opening 201 is located on an inner side than the position of the distal end of each hook 101, so that all the hooks 101 can engage the peripheral edge portions of the opening 201.
Conventionally, in a case where the bracket 100 is attached to the trim 200, as shown in FIG. 20, while the bracket 100 is being tilted, one of the opposing hooks 101 is first caught at a peripheral edge portion of the opening 201 in the trim 200, and a force is then applied to the other hook side as indicated by arrow N, thereby allowing the hook 101 on the other side to be pushed in and engaged with a peripheral edge portion of the opening 201 in the trim 200 by mainly utilizing the flexibility (deflection) of the trim 200. Namely, the fitting is effected by applying such a force that it does not break the hooks 101 and does not damage the trim 200.
However, since the degree to which the force is applied is difficult to adjust, the hook is liable to be broken as shown in FIG. 21, and the trim 200 is liable to be broken as shown in FIG. 22.
FIGS. 23 to 26 show another related bracket connecting structure. As shown in FIG. 23, a sun visor 501 having such a lamp has a bracket 502 at a tip of a fixing shaft 503 for fixing the sun visor 501 to the vehicle body side. This bracket 502 is fixed by being screwed down to an inner panel 504 of the vehicle body.
Hereafter, a description will be given of the structure for fixing the sun visor 501 to the inner panel 504. To obtain this structure, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, a wire harness 507 is first pulled out toward the vehicle compartment side through an opening 506 formed in the inner panel 504 in the vicinity of an upper end of a windshield 505, and a connector 510 attached to a tip of an electric wire 509 led out from the bracket 502 is joined to a connector 508 provided at a tip of the wire harness 507. The operation of connecting the connectors 508 and 510 is performed by the manual operation of an operator having trained skill.
Next, as shown in FIG. 24, the sun visor 501 is mounted while the joined connectors 508 and 510 and the wire harness 507 are being accommodated in a space 512 formed between the inner panel 504 and an outer panel 511 through the opening 506 formed in the inner panel 504.
Namely, as shown in FIG. 25, in a state in which the bracket 502 is being tilted while accommodating the connectors 508 and 510 and the wire harness 507 in the aforementioned space 512, a hook 518 provided on one end side of the bracket 502 is caught at a peripheral edge portion of the opening 506 in the inner panel 504. A grommet screw 513 formed on the other end side of the bracket 502 is inserted in a bracket mounting hole 514 (see FIG. 23) formed in the inner panel 504 in such a manner as to rotate the bracket 502 by using that caught portion as a fulcrum, and the bracket 502 is pushed in toward the inner panel 504 side.
Next, as shown in FIG. 26, a screw 515 is inserted in a central hole of the grommet screw 513 which is hollow cylindrical in shape, and the screw 515 is tightened. Then, a tip portion of the grommet screw 513 is pressed and expanded by the screw 515 by means of a slit 513a formed in the grommet screw 513 in a height wise direction from its tip portion. As one half portion 513b of the pressed and expanded grommet screw 513 is pressed against the peripheral edge portion of the bracket mounting hole 514, the bracket 502 is fixed to the inner panel 504.
However, since the above-described structure is arranged such that the bracket 502 is assembled while being rotated in the state in which the hook 518 has been caught beforehand, a relatively large clearance H for allowing the rotation is required between the hook 518 and the inner panel 504. Due to the presence of this clearance H, there has been a problem in that looseness or shakiness is liable to occur in the assembled state. In addition, since the hook 518 is inserted diagonally and is caught at the peripheral edge portion of the opening 506, there has been a problem in that an allowance for engagement between the hook 518 and the peripheral edge portion of the opening 506 cannot be made very large, so that it is impossible to secure high engaging strength at this portion.
The object of the invention is to provide a bracket connecting structure which makes it possible to engage the hooks of the bracket with the opening in the trim (a plate member to be attached to) easily without an excessive force, thereby making it possible to prevent incidents of the breakage of the hooks and of causing damage to the trim.
The another object of the invention is to provide a bracket connecting structure for an auxiliary device in which looseness or shakiness does not occur and which makes it possible to exhibit a positive and firm connecting force.
In order to solve the aforesaid object, the invention is characterized by having the following arrangement.
(1) A bracket comprising:
a base plate;
a pair of hooks, for engaging with opposing peripheral edge portions of an opening formed through a plate member, respectively, so that the bracket is attached to the plate member, provided at opposite ends of the base plate; and
a thin-walled portion having a thickness thinner than that of the base portion, which traverses an intermediate portion of the base plate between the pair of hooks.
(2) The bracket according to (1), wherein each of the pair of hooks has an L-shaped cross section whose distal end is oriented outwardly.
(3) The bracket according to (1), wherein the thin-walled portion is defined by a U-shaped groove for passing an electric wire therethrough.
(4) The bracket according to (3) further comprising a connector disposed midway in the U-shaped groove so that the electric wire passed though the U-shaped groove is electrically connected to the connector.
(5) The bracket according to (4), wherein the connector includes an insulation displacement terminal, the connector and the electric wire are electrically connected by subjecting an intermediate portion of the electric wire passed through the U-shaped groove to insulation displacement connection to the insulation displacement terminal.
(6) A bracket connecting structure comprising:
a first bracket including a first connector and attached to an opening formed through a panel;
a second bracket, for supporting an auxiliary device, including a second connector connectable to the first connector;
a hook, for engaging with the opening of the panel, projecting from the second bracket;
wherein after the second bracket is advanced toward the first bracket in a first direction so that the hook passes through the opening of the panel, the first and second brackets are adapted to slide in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction so that the hook is engaged with the opening of the panel, and
a fastening member for connecting the first and second bracket to the panel by being passed through a connecting hole formed through the second bracket and a connecting hole formed through the panel which are aligned with each other in a state in which the hook is engaged with the opening of the panel.
(7) The bracket connecting structure according to (6), wherein the second bracket is provided with an inclined portion which is brought into sliding contact with the opening of the panel in conjunction with the advancing movement of the hook into the opening of the panel to cause the second bracket to slide in an opposite direction to the second direction.
(8) The bracket connecting structure according to (6), wherein lock portions are respectively provided on the first and second brackets for locking the first and second brackets together when the hook has positively advanced to the panel and the first bracket and the second bracket have been set in a mutually properly assembled state.
(9) The bracket connecting structure according to (6), wherein the first connector is connected to the second connector when the second bracket is advanced to the first bracket.